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Mission:
The purpose of Dakota County Star Quilters shall be to contribute to the growth of knowledge about quilting techniques, patterns, history and quilt-making by providing educational meetings, fun and fellowship, by sponsoring and supporting quilting activities, by encouraging quilt-making, and by promoting the appreciation and knowledge of quilts.
We are located in Dakota County, Minnesota, near Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Meetings:
Visitors are always welcome. Thinking of joining? Come to a meeting and get to know us.
DCSQ meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month, 7-9 pm, at the Eagan Community Center, Eagan, Minnesota. (Click here for directions.)
In February, our meeting is at our annual quilt show at the Dakota County Historical Society in South St Paul.
The July meeting is a potluck picnic at a park in Eagan.
Featured Quilter Jean Loken
See more of Jean's quilts at http://www.sjloken.com/JeansQuilts.htm
Click on image to see photo full size.
| Jean's story about the quilt | |
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Our featured quilter for 2011 is Jean Loken. Jean, who had
been active in quilting in Minnesota for many years and who was
a long time member of Dakota County Star Quilters died July
17,2010.
Click here to read Jean's obituary. At the Minnesota Quilters quilt show in St. Paul, June 2010, Home of the Brave Coordinators will sell raffle tickets for a quilt they made tin Jean's memory. Proceeds will be donated to Second Chance for Life Foundation, a support group for heart and heart/lung transplant recipients. Click here for more information on Second Chance for Life. |
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In April 2010 Jean had hip replacement surgery, and DCCQ members
decided to make a quilt for her to use during her recovery.
Members made 6 inch star blocks in colors and design of their
choice. We put the quilt together, alternating the star
blocks with the album blocks used in "Home of the Brave" quilts.
Beth Kobliska designed the quilt, Karen Asmundson made all the
album blocks, and Susie Smidt quilted it. Jean's long time
friend, Janet Schuetze sewed on the binding and presented the
quilt to Jean a few days before she died. Close up photos are the star blocks made by Mary Burnes (top) and Sylvia Hakala (bottom). |
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Jean was the coordinator for Home of the Brave Quilts, and
received many citations to thank her for her work for the
families of military men and women who died in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Click here to see Jean's Home of the Brave web site. Click here for more information on the national mission of Home of the Brave Quilts Foundation. |
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Jean was involved in the Minnesota Quilt Project to identify and document quilts that have a Minnesota connection. Click here for more information. |
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Ribbons awarded to Jean's quilts. |
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Twelve Days of Christmas "Here's my best quilting effort. The pattern is Twelve Days of Christmas and it's hand appliquéd and hand quilted. It won a red ribbon at the Minn. Quilter's show in 2007. It was started, and all the fabric was chosen, by my friend Maureen Heaney, before she died of breast cancer in 2001. A lot of work, but I love hand work." Jean finished this quilt after the untimely death of her friend Maureen Heaney, who had started it. Twin bed size. |
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Hexagon Basket "This wall-hanging took a long time to get done. The pattern was in a 2000 magazine and the basket was done, but the magazine and project were separated in our move to Apple Valley. I found it early last year and finished it by the Feb. 2007 show. It hangs in our bedroom. The pieces are small (less than 1" across) hexagons." Wall hanging size. |
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Hidden Stars Christmas Quilt "I made this at a retreat with guild friends in November 2004. The pattern was a mystery series by Gwen Lundgren, and I hand quilted it in gold metallic thread. It's hanging over the stair well for Christmas" Lap size. |
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Fan Quilt "Here's ...the fan quilt I made for it, from the book "Stack 'n Whackier Quilts." It was quilted by my friend Page Johnson on her long-arm machine. The fabric I used to "whack" shows on the border, a great Jacobean print." The bottom photo is the same quilt displayed at our 2009 quilt show. Queen size. |
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Floral Wreath Pieced and hand quilted by Jean Loken. |
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Stars Fell on Alabama "This is made in batiks, so I had it professionally quilted. It's a variation of a pattern called "Starry Night" and I've named it "Stars fell on Alabama" because I pieced it there in 2005. It will be a winter wall hanging over our stairway." Quilted by Page Johnson. |
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Scrap Quilt "This is a double bed size quilt. The blocks started in a class I took at a quilt show in the late 1990s. It's a total scrap quilt, even the binding is strung together left-overs from other quilts. It was quilted by Julann Windsperger, my friend and professional long-arm quilter." |
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Purple, Green, and Tan Quilt Pieced and hand quilted by Jean Loken. Double bed size. |
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Old and New "I bought 11 antique blue and white blocks at an antique shop, then added to them with fabric I got at an estate sale, and some more reproduction fabrics until I had enough blocks to set in zigzags. The red fabric looks like what would have been used in the 1890s era of the original blocks. Finished in 1995 while I was waiting in the hospital thanks to my friend, Janet Schuetze." Pieced and hand quilted by Jean Loken. |
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Flowered Appliqué Quilt Top Pieced and hand appliquéd by Jean Loken. Lap size. |
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Florentine Flourish This is a large wall hanging I made for Di to commemorate our trip to Italy in 1991. The design was done in marble inlay in the Medici Chapel and I found a postcard and enlarged it. Then I shopped for fabric that looked marbleized. It was my most challenging piece ever. Pieced and hand quilted by Jean Loken. Wall Hanging |
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Road to Chocolate Heaven Pieced by Jean Loken. Longarm quilted by Page Johnson. "I won most of these blocks in an April 2006 meeting lottery in which I made three and so got three chances to win. It reminded me of chocolate so I used a chocolate box fabric for the border and a different one in one of my own squares. It's machine quilted by my favorite quilter, Page Johnson, in a heart and loop design." Lap size. |
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Pueblo Story Teller Pieced and hand quilted by Jean Loken Wall hanging. |
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I Spy Crib quilt, pieced and machine quilted by Jean Loken. "This is our granddaughter Elizabeth's new play quilt. I pieced the top while we were in Alabama this winter. I machine quilted it myself, not too well. She loves to point to the things on the quilt." |
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Playtime Pieced and hand quilted by Jean Loken. Embroidered by Janet Schuetze. "My friend Janet Schuetze, gave me this top which she embroidered when her kids were small. It was my birthday present from her when Di was expecting Elizabeth. I quilted it that spring and we kept it here for when she visited." This photo is from Jean's web site: www.sjloken.com Crib size. |
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Jean's DCSQ shirt with pins and name tag |